US Defense Emphasizes South Korea's Participation in Pressuring China... Unusual Mention of North Korea FFVD

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] Mark Esper, U.S. Secretary of Defense, stated on the 15th (local time) that he will stand with all partners and allies in the Western Indo-Pacific region against the threat of the 'Chinese Communist Party,' mentioning South Korea as well.

The U.S. also reaffirmed that it will work jointly with South Korea for North Korea's 'Final, Fully Verified Denuclearization' (FFVD). The fact that the U.S. mentioned FFVD, which it had not recently referred to, is seen as related to recent developments in North Korea.

Secretary Esper made these remarks in an op-ed titled "The United States Stands with Partners for a Free and Open Indo-Pacific," published on the 15th (local time) in the Singapore daily The Straits Times.

Secretary Esper said, "The United States, as an Indo-Pacific nation, is committed to ensuring that this region remains free and open for all, and to maintaining the rules and norms that have guaranteed prosperity for countries of all sizes."

He added, "We stand with all partners and allies in the Indo-Pacific, big and small. And together, we remain vigilant in rejecting the Chinese Communist Party's attempts to undermine the sovereignty of other countries and international rules and norms."

In particular, Secretary Esper expressed his eagerness to cooperate with Congress in establishing the 'Pacific Deterrence Initiative' at the administration level to support the three pillars of the Indo-Pacific strategy.

The 'Pacific Deterrence Initiative' aims to check and contain China's influence in the Indo-Pacific region amid China's military modernization and the weakening of U.S. military superiority.

Explaining the strengthening of partnerships, Secretary Esper said, "We continue to build closer relationships with our Indo-Pacific allies and partners across security cooperation, intelligence sharing, and training." He emphasized, "This includes our efforts with South Korea to achieve North Korea's FFVD and lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula."

It is quite unusual for U.S. authorities to explicitly mention the term 'FFVD' when discussing North Korea's denuclearization. Although denuclearization talks with North Korea have recently stalled, the U.S. had not referred to FFVD.

This appears to reaffirm the principles of North Korea's denuclearization and peace on the Korean Peninsula, even as North Korea has raised tensions by suggesting a break in inter-Korean relations and warning of military actions against the South through a statement by Kim Yo-jong, First Deputy Director of the Workers' Party.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.